One day, buy the drinks and I'll give you the recipe for a dish we cooked in France, "Gnocchi au Roquefort". Basically, pâte ŕ choux quenelles baked in cream and roquefort. When they exit the oven, they're puffed and melt in your mouth. Essentially, an orgasm on a fork.

Just a bunch of pretentious (read: jerkoffs) folks I have met as both a cook and restaurant patron. Like you, I think bread is a necessary accompaniment to cheese. The only caveat for me would be that the bread should be a simple one with fine cheeses. That way it does not mask any of the subtle flavors.

Thanks for the tart reference. Also glad that you've had the gnocchi dish. I've also seen it called "Gnocchi ŕ la Parisienne". Like Olivia Munn, I could eat that every day.

I live in Maryland, and before that New Jersey. The cheese down here is awful.

Yes, the cheese (and bread) for that matter is 1,000 x better in NJ/NYC. Why? I don't know, but you can't find anything remotely as tasty as back home in the civilized part of the world.

So, I'm relegated to buying Boar's Head or Cracker Barrel, just to get a decent flavor, even it is is filled with uber preservatives and other chemicals that make it less attractive.

I can't wait to go somewhere else where there are better cheeses which make life worth while.

The few, the proud, Cheese.

John, you folks have farmer's markets in your area? Often, local cheese makers will sell their goods at these places. You might also look up to see if any artisanal cheese makers (Amish or otherwise) are nearby.

Love most cheeses, and yes I use parm reggiano and pecorino romano or a sharp provolone in many of my dishes, but I love me some stinky cheese in this order, stinky, stinkier and stinkiest. Love bleus, gorgonzolas, LOVE goat cheese, but I like mild cheeses as well. I like pairing 3 cheeses of different textures and mildness to stinkiness ALWAYS with crispy bread with cocktails, a little fig jam on the side.

Best goat cheese I ever had was at my buddy's house in the south of France--it was unpasteurized, and he left it out on the counter to turn and we'd slice off some every day during cocktails. The first day it was as good as any goat cheese you get in the U.S. (pasteurized), but he said "wait till it sits for a few days". It got stinkier and better by the day. By the fourth day it smelled like God's feet and was indescribably creamy and powerful.

The other French cheeses I liked when I was over there were St. Marcellin, St. Felicien and Reblochon, but because of the raw cows milk, I don't think we can get them over here.

As it happens, am off today and am making the GF tonite panko crusted chicken breasts stuffed with mushrooms, shallots, chives and goat cheese topped with a light white wine pan sauce (even though I've given up wine for Lent, I'm figuring if the alcohol cooks out I'm still good). Pilaf mixed with rocket and a handful of parm as a side.

John, you folks have farmer's markets in your area? Often, local cheese makers will sell their goods at these places. You might also look up to see if any artisanal cheese makers (Amish or otherwise) are nearby.

That's the only way it comes close, but my area is so transient (big government housing/people coming and going) that everything is so commercial.

They just opened a Wegman's. It's like an airport. That helped a little.

For a correctly presented cheese assortiment you would need 3-4 cheeses (to be taken from the weakest to the strongest):

My top 3:

- A camemebert 'done' (meaning like wine, the cheese should be kept at room temp for about 3-4 hours. when the room starts to stink, you're good to go ). Camembert is the French cheese. In Normandie they also take some salted butter with it. Very good.

- A 24 month aged Comté is to die for. It’s aged so much you can taste the salty crystals in it. Can also be replaced by an equally aged mimolette (a bit like cheddar) which can have the same salty crystals too.

Not a big fan of blue cheeses (except for gorgonzola) or goat cheese (too dry)

The only "exotic" cheese I've tasted is camemebert and I liked it. I was reluctant to post in here because I actually like merlot, and merlot has a bad rep since that stupid movie.

Made me question my own tastes....

Nothing at all wrong with enjoying Merlot. It's one of the great varietals of Bordeaux.

Along with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot is used to blend the finest red wines in the world. It has a rounder, less tannic, mouth feel than Cabernet sauvignon, which most folks prefer. Just drink what you like.

This aged cheese you're all describing. Almost liquid ,stinks, aged, salt crystals what the **** is wrong with you. And it looks disgusting as well. You deserve what you get in life just for eating that ****. I may do a fondue here n there but that's it.